.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University
San Diego
Football Team Gets Defensive In 24-17 Win Over San Diego
September 25, 2004 | Football
Sept. 25, 2004
Final Stats
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - A pair of defensive touchdowns and a strong defensive effort in the second half led the Princeton football team to a 24-17 win over the University of San Diego Toreros Saturday in front of 3,528 at Torero Stadium. The Tigers, who have now won as many games this season as they did all of last season, are 2-0 for the first time since the Ivy League championship season of 1995.
"This win showed the character of this team," head coach Roger Hughes said after the win. "Last year, maybe we would have lost this game, but we are finding ways to win now. Any road win is a good one, and we feel good to be flying home with the victory. We know we still have work to do, especially heading into our Ivy opener against a tough Columbia team."
Defensive end James Williams and defensive back Jay McCareins scored their first career touchdowns on back-to-back offensive plays for the Toreros. Princeton also got scores on a 4-yard run by quarterback Matt Verbit and a 27-yard field goal by Derek Javarone. Verbit ended the game with 185 yards passing (12 for 22, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) and moves into third place on the all-time Princeton passing list. The senior tandem of Jon Veach and Branden Benson combined for 144 yards on the ground, while eight different receivers caught passes for the second consecutive week.
Zak Keasey led the defensive charge with 11 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed. Justin Stull led all players with 14 tackles, his ninth consecutive game with at least 10 tackles. Brandon Mueller had Princeton's only sack of the game, but it was a key defensive play; the hit caused the fumble that turned into a touchdown for James Williams.
Princeton moved the ball down the field with relative ease to take a 7-0 lead on its first offensive possession of the game. Benson contributed a number of key runs, while a 52-yard strike from Verbit to Eric Walz got Princeton deep into Torero territory. After Benson got Princeton to the 4-yard line, Verbit kept the ball on an option and drove through a San Diego defender into the end zone.
San Diego, which had lost a turnover-plagued contest to Penn the week before, drove into Princeton territory before surrenduring its first turnover of the game. Evan Harney bounced off one Princeton defender but was stripped from behind by Abi Fadeyi. The ball took a high bounce off the ground and headed out of bounds, but Zak Keasey was able to dive on the ball and get a knee in bounds to give possession back to the Tigers. Princeton was unable to move the ball into San Diego territory, but a solid punt by Colin McDonough put San Diego back to its own 21-yard line.
Neither team would score for the rest of the quarter, although Princeton did miss its first red-zone opportunity of the season on a dropped pass on third down and a 31-yard field goal attempt that Derek Javarone pulled left. The second quarter would begin with immediate heroics, as a blitzing Brandon Mueller hit quarterback Todd Mortensen as he dropped back and forced a fumble. The only player in the backfield and on his feet was Princeton defensive end James Williams, who easily scooped up the ball and trotted into the end zone for a 14-0 lead. It was Princeton's first defensive touchdown since Blake Perry returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown in a 34-14 win over Brown last week.
As it turned out, it wouldn't take much longer for Princeton's next defensive score. In fact, it would take only one offensive play, as Jay McCareins intercepted a pass intended for Dustin Owen and made his way down the left sideline. With blocks in front of him, he made it easily to the 5-yard line. He leapt over one Torero, cut inside and dove into the end zone to give Princeton a 21-0 lead. In a span of 13 seconds, the Tigers had taken total control of the game.
The Princeton defense didn't relent and forced another turnover on the next San Diego possession. This time, it was 2003 first-team All-Ivy linebacker Justin Stull forcing a fumble with a crushing tackle. It was recovered by Mueller, who was tripped up immediately and brought down at the 26-yard line. The Toreros would hold strong on defense and keep the score 21-0 after a missed 35-yard field goal attempt by Javarone. San Diego's ensuing drive would also end on a missed field goal attempt, this time a 45-yarder from Hutch Parker.
The Tigers failed to convert on Parker's miss, and instead ended up shooting themselves in the foot to set up San Diego's first score. A reverse to Greg Fields seemed to yield a first down at midfield, but a holding call negated the run. Another holding call and a subsequent personal foul buried Princeton deep in its own territory and forced a punt, which was blocked by the Toreros' Ronnie Pentz. That set up a three-yord touchdown run for Harney and cut the deficit to 21-7.
Mistakes would continue to plague Princeton, as its next drive lasted three plays before McDonough came out to attempt another punt. This time, the snap went over McDonough's head and rolled towards the Tiger end zone. The sophomore All-Ivy punter saved a potential disaster by picking up the ball and throwing it close enough to a teammate that San Diego couldn't gain possession inside the Princeton 10-yard line. As it turned out, the play merely delayed San Diego's second touchdown, which came on a 1-yard run by quarterback Todd Mortensen. That score came with 14 seconds remaining and got the score to 21-14 at the half.
Princeton would extend the lead to 27-17 on a 27-yard field goal by Javarone. Veach set the drive up with a long run that included a trio of broken tackles. A slant pass to McCareins on third down moved Princeton to the 10-yard line and set up the shorter kick. It was Javarone's first field goal of the season. The lead would be back to seven points on San Diego's next possession of the season, as John Koker blasted a 46-yard field goal in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Koker would follow that with a touchdown-saving tackle on Greg Fields' ensuing kickoff return. He brought the ball to the Princeton 42-yard line, but Princeton could only manage one first down before punting the ball back to San Diego.
The Toreros managed nine and a half yards on its next three plays, but instead of gambling deep in his own territory, San Diego head coach Jim Harbaugh called for a punt. Needing points to open up a two-possession lead, the Tigers went to its most consistent runner of the last two seasons, Veach. The senior co-captain broke a long run up the right sideline to get his team into San Diego territory, then took a middle screen to the San Diego 20-yard line. On 3rd and 1, Veach ran inside the tackles and gained five yards.
Veach's next run looked like a potential touchdown for Princeton, but it ended up as a turnover for San Diego. Running off the left side, Veach found a hole and headed towards the corner of the end zone. Free safety Scott Cooper stretched out for the tackle and ended up ripping the ball out of his hands. Mark Johnson jumped on it, keeping the deficit to seven points and energizing the San diego sideline.
A pass interference call against Princeton and a fourth-down conversion by Harney got the ball to the San Diego 39-yard line with 4:45 remaining. Following two incompletions, Mortensen found Michael Gasperson just past the line of scrimmage. There was open room for the sophomore to use, but Stull made the tackle of the game, diving for an ankle tackle that forced a 4th and 7. Mortensen tried to find Gasperson again on fourth down, but Zak Keasey stepped in front of the pass and intercepted it, his first interception since a 34-19 win over Lafayette in the 2002 season. That interception, like this one, ended a late drive and allowed Princeton to maintain its lead. San Diego would get one more opportunity, but Princeton forced a turnover on downs and held on for the win.
Princeton will continue its three-game road trip next Saturday when it takes on Columbia at 1:30 p.m. at Wien Stadium in New York City. The contest will open the Ivy League schedule for both schools, although the official league schedule began this weekend. Cornell, which went winless last season and was predicted to finish eighth in the league this season, shocked Yale 19-7 at Schoellkopf Field. Harvard, one of the preseason favorites, outlasted Brown in a wild 35-34 game in Providence.
Princeton defeated Columbia 35-32 in its last trip to New York City, rallying for a pair of scores in the fourth quarter to earn the win. The game also featured a 50-yard bomb from David Splithoff to Patrick Schottel on the final play of the first half. That became a trend in this series, as Columbia defeated Princeton 33-27 last season when Jeff Otis found Wade Fletcher for a 49-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game. The win negated a 102-yard effort from Benson and a 99-yard one from Veach.